Tea and Cake and a Kiss
by paperwar
Summary: Azusa thinks Ui deserves a little pampering.


"It'll be fine, Ui," Azusa repeated into the phone. "Of course I can do it all myself!" She sighed, then said, "You promise? See you then." She hung up and let herself smile a little.

Yui-sempai had been even more, well, Yui-like over the past few weeks, as college loomed. It seemed every other minute there was something else that she had forgotten to buy, or couldn't find among the things she'd already bought, or had to have Ui do for her.

Azusa couldn't bear it, but it was just more of the usual for Ui. In fact, once classes started last week, Ui seemed to wilt a little, with her sister around less to fuss over. To cheer her up, Azusa promised to have Ui over for lunch. The only condition was that she couldn't bring anything or help out.

"I'm going to take care of you for a change," Azusa had told her. Ui had fretted at the thought of being a bad guest - what if she only brought some cookies, or perhaps some tea? - but Azusa had told her, with a kiss (and that was something the two of them were still getting used to), that she would take care of everything.

So the kitchen was a mess. The counter was piled with dishes and mixing bowls and utensils; there were bits of lettuce on the floor and the sink was probably clogged from the cookie dough Azusa had tried to rinse down the drain. The batter had somehow turned out both lumpy and runny, clearly not worth even attempting to bake. She'd had to mix up some more, while vowing to disregard Jun's baking advice in the future.

Still, there was progress: the second batch of lemon cookies smelled glorious and tasted better than she'd hoped for (she couldn't serve Ui something untested, could she?). There was a plate of sandwiches, neatly arranged. And she'd found a flowered teapot in a cabinet - she'd never seen her mother use it before - with matching cups.

There would also be, she thought, cake. If only she had time to make it. She checked the clock. Ui wasn't due over for another hour. With renewed determination, she rolled up her sleeves and weighted the cookbook down with the plate of sandwiches to keep it open.

The doorbell rang 15 minutes later. Azusa wiped her hands on her apron and hurried to open it.

It was Ui, looking sheepish. "I know I'm early..."

"You're not helping me! Don't even think about it!" Azusa said, taking the other girl's hand and leading her to the couch, which faced away from the kitchen. "Sit here! And don't move."

Ui sat, meekly, and Azusa returned to the kitchen, popping her head out a minute later to ask if Ui wanted anything to drink, maybe some tea. She could see Ui wanted to say no, or would prefer to make it herself. Azusa waved her hands to forestall Ui's protests. "Sit," she repeated. "I'll bring you some."

When she set the tea down a few moments later, she asked awkwardly, "Do you want a magazine? Or you could turn on the TV while you wait..." It was Ui's own fault if she was bored; she was the one who showed up early. But Azusa felt guilty anyway.

Ui demurred; she'd just sit, thank you. Azusa looked at her and said, "Everything's fine. It's almost ready."

That was a lie, but not too much of one; it only took her about more 10 minutes to get in the cake in the oven, and while it was baking they could start on the sandwiches. She made more tea and brought it all out together. At the last minute the tray tilted slightly - the weight of the teapot made it wobbly - and it came down onto the table with a thump. Two of the sandwiches were dislodged from the tidy stack, delicate cucumber slices knocked loose. Azusa swiftly rotated the tray so the mess faced away from Ui.

"This looks wonderful," Ui said, although Azusa thought she looked hesitant. No, no, Azusa chided herself; she was just being silly.

"Let's eat!" Azusa said, and they each selected a sandwich. Azusa took a bite while watching for a reaction.

Ui nodded and proclaimed the sandwiches good, though Azusa couldn't stop herself from muttering something about how they were surely not as tasty as if Ui had made them.

With the next bite, Azusa got a large crumb caught in her throat and, coughing, gulped down some tea. It was a little too hot for that to be a good idea, and she spilled the rest of it as she slammed the cup down, but at least she didn't spit anything out. Oh, she'd wanted so much to be elegant, to serve up enviable snacks with Ui's nonchalance. She wanted someone else to be able to do the flawless things Ui did for Ui herself. Maybe the idea of herself as that person had been mere arrogance.

After that, she felt too self-conscious to easily make conversation, and Ui, falling into the same mopiness she'd had since Yui started college, wasn't much help. They each ate a few of the lemon cookies - which were incredible, if Azusa said so herself, and even Ui seemed genuinely impressed - in near-silence.

Snap out of it, Azusa thought, heading to the kitchen. At least she'd remembered to set the timer for the cake. She pulled it out of the oven and surveyed it. Double chocolate mint. She'd never tried the recipe before, but it had sounded easy enough. And it smelled good.

"Azusa?" Ui called.

"No!" Azusa called back. "I mean," she amended, "I don't need any help! Drink some more tea!" The cake had to cool for a little while, of course, but then she could frost it. The recipe indicated she should wait until it was completely cool, but probably just a few minutes would be fine, right? The frosting wasn't going to burst into flames, after all. She opened the fridge, yanked out a few containers, and managed to jam the cake pan inside. That should help.

She propped the cookbook open again. She spilled some of the confectioner's sugar on the floor in her haste, but no other mishaps occurred as she mixed up the frosting.

She put a finger on the surface of the cake and frowned. Very warm. Well, it would have to do. The frosting looked real, like the frosting on cakes in bakeries (and it was delicious, she verified), and spread on the cake in a lovely thick layer. She smiled. Then it started to absorb the heat from the cake.

She opened her mouth to call for Ui, but clamped her jaw shut. No, no, no. She put the cake back in the fridge.

"Are you all right?" Ui called; Azusa was impressed that, despite herself, Ui hadn't turned around once to look in the kitchen.

Azusa took a deep breath. "The cake's almost ready," she said. She opened the fridge door. The frosting looked slightly more solid. She pulled the cake back out again and slathered some more on, shoving it back into the fridge and slamming the door. A couple more minutes, she thought. She couldn't keep Ui waiting forever. Or not without her coming into the kitchen to fix things.

In the end, the frosting was still runny. Not quite liquid, but enough to make them both very careful of their clothes. At least it all tasted good, and the sight of the frosting oozing threateningly towards the edge of Azusa's plate did make Ui giggle, even if she felt the need to apologize for it.

"Next time make the cake earlier," Ui said. "If you let it cool all the way on a wire rack first, it will be much easier!"

Azusa reached across the table and took Ui's hand - self-consciously, because this was still fragile and new for both of them - and said, "Maybe next time I'll even let you help me. You won't get to do it all, though. No way."

Ui's lips twitched. "We can bake a cake together."

Azusa squeezed Ui's hand. "Maybe next Sunday, okay?"

She could see Ui's brain working, probably trying to figure out what assistance her sister might need after that week's classes, Azusa thought with mild irritation. But in the end, Ui agreed.

As they said goodbye, with a timid kiss that Ui initiated, Azusa thought maybe her grand plan hadn't been a complete disaster.

Now to unclog the sink.


End file.
